"The Noguchi Museum in Queens is unlike every other museum I've been to. It's more experiential: The space itself intersects with the sculptures and the lighting. The environment feels like it's tailor-made for these items. It gives you an overview of Noguchi's career, but you don't feel like you're walking into a Wikipedia page. You're walking into this peaceful experience. It has this really special feeling: It's a very calming, soothing space."

"I've lived in Greenpoint since 2013. On the weekends, I wander around and ride my bike, and I saw this little place that sells nothing but cookbooks. In the past couple years, it's expanded, and they have cookbooks still, but what really draws me there is that they have wonderful curated food items: nice Italian olive oils, interesting coffees, cheeses. Most delightful of all, they have these wonderful sandwiches. I'm partial to the Lina, which is smoked tuna belly with slaw."

"Going to Mimi's is like walking into a Billy Joel song. There's a piano bar, and the characters behind the piano aren't the greatest players in the world, but they're just right. There's martinis, ravioli, spaghetti, heartburn, fried calamari, checkered tablecloths, Chianti—but it's not pastiche. It's not a concept. It's the real deal New York red-sauce joint. It's like walking into a time capsule. "

"Tennis is the one sport I play, but if you think about it, it's a lot of space for one or two human beings—it's decadent in this real-estate-mad place! But yet, I want to play it. I play a lot in city parks, at off hours. All along, the U.S. Open is played in Forest Hills—the best tennis in the world is played there. But anyone can play there! They have many courts open to the public; it's like getting to play baseball in Yankee Stadium! More people should get on the 7 train and check it out."

"People know McCarren Park, which is a beautiful spot in Williamsburg, but a little farther into Greenpoint is McGolrick, which is almost a European-style park. It's very groomed and organized, and in the center of it is a statue and an area where you can have a picnic. During Covid it absolutely became the center of everything; you'd go to McGolrick and pack a bottle of wine and a picnic. It's a special spot where I do the Sunday crossword puzzle, and there's a farmers' market in the summer."

"Part of why I love New York is that it's a classic town. Sometimes, you gotta think inside the box when you travel. Classics are classics for a reason. A martini at The Odeon is where it's at. It's not just a tourist thing: You rub elbows with weirdos, too. I've had so many interesting conversations there. I love it. You get french fries and a martini. They still have a tuna burger, which feels like it's from 1985, but I always get it."

"When I moved here many years ago, you couldn't watch independent film online. I was in my teens, and my friends were all going to the Mermaid Fair on Coney Island, and I was like, 'I can't go, because The 400 Blows is playing at Film Forum.' All my friends partied, and I went and saw this movie and was so happy. Now that I live here, I've learned that The 400 Blows plays at Film Forum like once every two months! They have such strong programming. I still go there every few weeks."

"Grand Central Station is absolutely magnificent; those ceilings can't be Instagrammed enough. Near Grand Central Oyster Bar—which I also recommend, great martinis and oysters—is the Whispering Gallery. Two arches intersect, and if you whisper at one point, the person over at the other point can hear perfectly what you're saying. It's just a little thrill. It makes this iconic building come alive and be intimate in a way it normally isn't."

"It took me a long time living here before I realized that New York is a water town. You spend so much time on the subway and crossing the bridges, but once you start playing around with the ferries, the city makes a lot of sense. It's a cheap, foolproof way for a traveler to explore the city. You don't need to pay for a Circle Line cruise; you can just take the ferry, and you get this amazing vantage point of Manhattan."

"Bigelow's is the oldest apothecary in America, according to them. It's in the West Village, so it's where bougie bohemian royalty buy their toothpaste and stuff like that. They have, like, 30 kinds of toothpaste and, like, 40 kinds of deodorant, and like Spanish and Italian shaving cream. It's a cornucopia of international toiletries. There's this whole world of interesting-smelling flavors, and it's all at Bigelow's."